Adjustable cultivator foot



Jam. 3, 1939. vI NEEDHAM ADJUSTABLE CULTIVATOR FOOT Filed May 13, 195s EEE-.E l, i.

/ @www Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES ADJUSTABLE CULTIVATOR FOOT Virgil Needham, Osceola, Ark., assignor of oneeighth to Frank C. Kirkpatrick, Osceola, Ark.

Application May 13, 1938, Serial No. 207,827

6 Claims` This invention relates to cultivators and more particularly to novel means for adjusting the shovel carrying foot thereof to regulate the depth of cut or penetration of the shovel into the soil.

The object of the invention is to provide a cultivator foot of simple and durable construction having means associated therewith for manually adjusting the angle or inclination of the shovel and positively securing said shovel in any desired set position of adjustment.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cultivatcr foot having a bearing ring pivotally mounted on the rear portion thereof and in which is mounted for rotation a bearing sleeve adapted to receive the lower end of a threaded adjusting rod, said rod having its intermediate portion threaded in a bearing collar and its free end provided `with an operating handle whereby, when the rod is rotated, the desired adjustment of the shovel may be readily effected without the employment of a wrench or other tool.

A further object is to provide the cultivatcr shank with a laterally extending boss which bears against an anchoring lug on the threaded collar and forms a iirm backing or support therefor.

A still further object of the invention is generally to improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and eiiiciency.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lower portion of a cultivatcr showing my improved foot adjusting mechanism in position thereon,

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

The improved foot adjusting mechanism forming the subject-matter of the present invention may be used in connection with any style or type of cultivatcr and by way of illustration is shown applied to a cultivatcr of standard construction in which 5 designates the shank, 6 a bracket or casting mounted on the shank and to which is pivotally connected at 'I a spring pressed bolt 8, the spring retaining collar 9 of which is operatively connected with the usual pivoted yoke I0.

Pivotally mounted at I I on the lower end of the shank 5 is a foot IZVadapted to receive a shovel I3 of any desired construction, said foot being provided with spaced rearwardly extending arms I4 having terminal openings I5 formed therein and in which are pivotally mounted lateral trunm'ons I6 carried by a pivoted bearing ring, indicated at l1. Loosely mounted for rotation within the bearing ring II is a sleeve I8 having spaced lateral flanges I9, the inner faces of which are inclined or beveled, at 20, for engagement with correspondingly beveled faces formed on the bearing ring, as best shown in Figure 3 of the drawing. Disposed at the rear of the'shank 5 is an adjusting rod 2I having its upper end provided with a iinger-piece or handle 22 and its lower end provided with a cylindrical terminal 23 fitting within the sleeve I8 and defining a stop shoulder 24 which bears against the adjacent end of the sleeve, as shown. The lower end of the cylindrical portion 23 of the rod projects a short dis- 1 tance beyond the adjacent end of the sleeve I8 and extending through said projecting end is a cotter pin or similar fastening device 25 which holds the shoulder 24 in contact with the bearing sleeve and prevents accidental displacement of the adjusting rod. The intermediate portion of the adjusting rod 2| is threaded in a bearing collar 2B having a lateral lug 21 formed integral therewith and iitting between the usual spaced ears on the lower end of the yoke Ill and to which it is secured by a bolt or similar fastening device 28. Extending laterally from the shank or standard 5 of the cultivatcr is a reinforcing boss 29 which bears against the adjacent face of the lug 21 of the bearing sleeve and forms a backing or support therefor.

In order to adjust the foot of the cultivatcr to regulate the depth of cut or penetration of the shovel into the soil, it is merely necessary to grasp the operating handle or knob 22 and rotate the adjusting rod to the right or left, as 'the case may be, which causes the foot I2 to tilt on its pivotal axis II to the desired position of adjustment and in which position it will be securely held by engagement of the threads on the adjusting rod with the threads on the bearing collar. It will here be noted that,inasmuch as the trunnions of the bearing ring I1 are pivotally mounted in the arms I4 of the foot and the sleeve I8 carrying the adjusting rod 2I is loosely mounted in said bearing ring, said parts form, in effect, a swivel connection between the foot and adjusting rod so as to permit any desired range of angular adjustment of the foot with respect to the shank of the cultivatcr. It will, furthermore, be noted that the adjustment of the foot with respect to the shank of the cultivatcr is effected solely by rotating the adjusting rod, thus rendering the employment of a wrench or other tool unnecessary.

It will, of course, be understood that the device may be made in different sizes and shapes and applied to any form or type of cultivator without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a cultivator, the combination with a shank, of a foot pivotally mounted thereon and provided with spaced rearwardly extending arms, a bearing ring pivotally mounted between said arms, a sleeve extending through the bearing ring, a bearing collar, and an adjusting rod threaded in said collar and having its lower end tting in the sleeve.

2. In a cultivator, the combination with a shank, of a foot pivotally mounted thereon and provided with spaced laterally extending arms having alined openings therein, a bearing ring having oppositely disposed trunnionsY journaled in said openings, a sleeve fitting in the bearing ring and provided with spaced flanges bearing against said ring, a bearing collar, and an adjusting rod threaded in the collar and having one end thereof provided with an operating handle and its other end formed with a reduced extension fitting in the sleeve.

3. In `a cultivator, the combination with a shank, of a foot pivotally mounted on the shank and provided with spaced rearwardly extending arms, a bearing ring pivotally mounted for tilting movement between the arms and having its opposite faces beveled, a sleeve journaled in the ring and provided with spaced flanges having beveled faces engaging the beveled portions of the ring, a collar, an adjusting rod threaded in the collar and having its lower end extending through and projecting beyond the sleeve, and a fastening device engaging the extended end of said adjusting rod.

4. In a cultivator, the combination with a shank, of a foot pivotally mounted thereon and provided with spaced arms having transversely alined openings therein, a bearing ring provided with trunnions journaled in said openings, a sleeve tted within the bearing ring and provided with spaced lateral flanges contacting with said bearing ring, a bearing collar, an adjusting rod threaded in the bearing collar and having its lower end formed with a reduced cylindrical portion defining a stop shoulder bearing against the adjacent end of the sleeve, said cylindrical portion extending Within the sleeve and having its lower end projecting beyond said sleeve, and a fastening device extending through the projecting end of said cylindrical portion.

5. In a cultivator, the combination with a shank, a bracket secured to the shank, a yoke mounted on the bracket and provided with spaced ears, a reinforcing boss extending rearwardly from the shank at said ears, a foot pivotally mounted on the shank and provided with spaced rearwardly extending arms, a bearing collar having a lateral lug tting between the ears and bearing against the reinforcing boss, a bearing ring pivotally mounted for tilting movement between the arms of the foot, and an adjusting rod threaded in the bearing collar and having one end thereof provided with a nger-piece and its other end operatively connected with the bearing ring.

6. In a cultivator, the combination with a shank, of a foot pivotally mounted thereon and provided with spaced arms, a bearing ring pivotally mounted between said arms, a'sleeve journaled in the bearing ring, a bearing collar, and an adjusting rod extending through the collar and having its lower end fitted within said sleeve.

VIRGIL NEEDHAM. 

